My youngest, Connor, is a bright happy kid. He is gentle kind, enjoys the world around him. He is also language delayed autistic. So going the the dentist is very different for him. It requires him to be fully sedated. Get that? Under via IV drip for the duration of his dentist trip.
Sedation frightens the hell out of me, because I know how many things can go wrong. Now his dentist is very good and has an impeccable track record, in all ways he is a professional and damn near peerless in his skills. Still intellectualize all you want, my darling baby boy is going to be fed drugs until unconscious. It just does not sit right, and probably never will.
This is one of the few times I recognize a burden with Autism. Something that would normally require a "be brave kid" instead is Draconian. Due to some evil well meaning pre-school teachers he still cannot abide his hair being cut for as long as needed. Having them clear out the barber shop so you can restrain your kid while the understanding barber does his job is taxing, humiliating and can be viewed as cruel.
Still with diligence and modeling we have gotten him to the point were he will allow the hair cutting to a reasonable point.
The last go around they tried to induce a dream like state. No go. Then they tried Gas. No go. Then they did an IV. I have never seen someone fight against going under like he did. Seriously his will power blew me away.
He spent the next 24 hours lethargic and vomiting. I felt unevenly, because I knew this needed to be done, yet my heart broke seeing him in this situation. He had a follow-up and after the long trial of his first go around he was able to open his mouth and let them work. His legs nervously moved and his hands were on either side of his face.
Flash forward, today. Connor is going in for cleaning, x-rays and possibly drilling. I REALLY am feeling the angst. He just does not comprehend what is going on and it has to be justifiably frightening and confusing.
I really expected the worse. Lo and behold he did not need sedation. He was willing to allow them to do their job, they let him hold and look at the instruments and with mirrors observe the procedure. They were even able to get him to laugh here and there. I'm dumbfounded.
Somehow he was able to put together in his mind that this was uncomfortable but important. Imagine, if you will, the difficulty in explaining what someone is going to work in your mouth with a hook scraping your teeth? Futher, say you have to use a HIGHLY limited vocabulary and the person has no experience to draw comparisons too. Somewhere in that skull lurks a highly deductive, brilliant mind.
10 comments:
thats AMAZING! go connor! I am SUPER proud of him! Its so odd that he is growing up so quick lol i sound like his mom lol...but seriously everytime something comes along he is showing such improvement! I remember when we had to ask limited questions...now he gets and understands so much better....way to go connor!
The prep part is tricky. I expected the IV drip as part of what would happen, so I said there might have to be a needle in his arm.
Understandably, he got very antsy about this & tried to get me to say it wouldn't happen. But I didn't know if it would or wouldn't - so all I could do was say "maybe."
I told him if he can hold still and be brave, maybe they don't need to do the needle in the arm.
When he sat in the chair, he looked at the tech and said, "No needle in the arm." She said, "Well, we can try, but you have to be very very still."
I'm not sure whether he connected that being still would keep the needle from going in, but whatever it was, he WAS brave, and he managed his fear very well.
Then we went to Dairy Queen. :)
Yay, Connor! Yay, Dairy Queen!
no yay dentist.
Doesn't matter how good they are, they will NEVER be my friend.
Those are the breaks. Deal.
OK Fine. If Connor can do it, I can do it. Connor's inspired me to go to a loong put off dental appointment. Thanks Connor!
Admission for the world to see: I cannot go to the dentist without nitrous. I am an absolute coward. I admire Connor all the more for his bravery in the face of drills and picks without any sedation. I hope someday to follow his lead.
Here's another place we agree, Flying Van. I'm going to the dentist tomorrow, a task I've long put off. I left a comment (or three) for you under Lee's library post. We are more alike than different, and I'm sorry I could not respond sooner. You may regret my answer: I never should have majored in English.
I hope, after you read my comment, that we can come to a better understanding. You did not deserve my ire and certainly schooled me, Flying Van. I am exceedingly and genuinely grateful for your comments.
You think we can both follow Connor's lead?
OK, I went to the Dentist today. Please thank Connor for me.
Lee, I don't know if Nitrous Oxide is an option for a child, but it might help avoid putting him under sedation.
Uh...FTW. Fantastic To Women?
Fart, Then Walk? Faces The World?
Filberts Taste Wonderful? French--Terribly Woosie? Help me out here. I'm Feeling The Wonder.
FTW standard internet slang: For The Win!
not to be confused with BTW = by the way.
not to be confused with OMW = on my way.
:)
Well, Faces The World woulda worked too.
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